Washington, DC- Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Thursday announced the District’s Columbia Heights neighborhood was recently named one of the 10 best development projects in the Americas by the Urban Land Institute, an international planning and development organization.
(Washington, DC) - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Thursday announced the District’s Columbia Heights neighborhood was recently named one of the 10 best development projects in the Americas by the Urban Land Institute, an international planning and development organization.
“We are incredibly proud of the amazing transformation that’s occurred in Columbia Heights during the last several years,” said Mayor Fenty. “And it wouldn’t have been possible without the strong partnership we built between the city leadership, developers and investors and our Columbia Heights neighbors.”
The 2010 Award for Excellence winners were selected from more than 170 entries. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability.
During the past decade, community leaders, District officials and the development community worked together to plan and execute more than $1 billion worth of development covering more than 20 acres around the Columbia Heights Metrorail Station. The development’s centerpiece, a 500,000 square foot shopping center named DC USA, which opened 40 years after riots ravaged the Northwest Washington neighborhood following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The revitalization efforts also include about 600 units of housing (150 units of affordable housing), the renovation of the historic Tivoli Theatre, a new civic plaza and performance space for the Dance Institute of Washington and the Gala Hispanic Theatre.
“This is a great announcement for Ward 1,” said Councilmember Jim Graham, D-Ward 1. “It shows what can happen when all of us pull together, a fitting recognition of a splendid achievement.”
Other awardees include one of Mexico’s largest private development projects, a Chicago transit center, a $2.5 billion entertainment district in Los Angeles, a convention center in Vancouver and an organic food market-anchored housing development in New York City.